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Friday, February 17, 2012

Senna cosmetics - Review and Swatches

Just a couple of days ago, I posted a sneak peak at some items from Senna Cosmetics (click here). I have tried these for the past three weeks and am now able to review them.

Here is a brief introduction to Senna Cosmetics for those of us who are not familiar with this brand.

Created in 1976 by Emmy nominated artist Eugenia Weston, Senna was the first professional makeup artist line to introduce more natural, wearable colors for ‘everyday’ women. Now Senna is the favorite of Hollywood film and television makeup pros, beauty editors, A-list celebrities and women of all ages and stages.

Eugenia Weston, Senna founder and celebrity makeup artist, has worked in theatre and movie studios and in creating her own makeup line, felt that the real essence of cosmetics is ‘Beauty, Illusion, Transformation’. To represent this theatrical feeling Eugenia chose a harlequin motif and named this makeup muse ‘Senna’. - Source here

With Senna Barely Base Sheer mineral makeup SPF20 (link), I am in the shade Dark. It blends like a dream. Dries to a sheer, illuminating yet matte to the touch finish. It evens out the skin tone nicely, as you can see from my before and after pic. This sheer foundation has benefiting properties that nourish and protect the skin. It has SPF 20 as well. Great for everyday use. It never broke me out or left me feeling oily or caked with makeup. This sheer base will not give you heavy coverage if you desire that.

Senna HD Extreme Firming radiant makeup in Tan (link). This foundation is not my shade thus I can't give you a fair and honest opinon. Unfortunately this is the darkest shade that they have on their site.

With Senna Totally Transforming concealer (link), Amber suits me. As you can see from the before and after pic, the concealer has done a very good job with covering the under eye discoloration and the pimple scar. It comes with a doe foot applicator which is quite similar to Mac select moisture cover concealers. Here is a comparison of the two concealers (see below).

Senna Totally Transforming concealer has a better balance of the orange undertones compared to Mac select moisture cover. Mac concealer has more yellow in it and the formula is not quite as thick and opaque as the one from Senna. I prefer the Senna concealer as it does not need layering, just one small swipe, blend with your fingers and you are done. I anticipate that this concealer fits well for those with really dark circles and pigmentation issues. It is best to set the concealer with powder so that there will be no issues with creasing throughout the day just like with any other concealer.

Senna Brow Shaper Dou in Ebony (link) & Senna Double Brow Brush (link) is the perfect combo for well groomed eyebrows. I usually use Mac fluidline in Dipdown to fill in my eyebrows. I really like this eyebrow shadow and wax better as it gives me much more natural looking eyebrows. However, I should mention that they only last for about 6 hours. I have an oily t-zone and eyebrows so most products tend to fade after 6 hours. Senna Double Brow Brush is a great tool to have for any makeup enthusiast as it has two functions in just one brush. Great for traveling too.

Senna Lip Sync in A La Mode (link) is a pretty pink lipstick which is sheer with one coat, yet build-able with many coats. The lipgloss is a peachy pink shade with gold glitters.

Senna Lip Sync in Paris Pink (link) has more reds than pinks in it. The gloss is pink with tiny shimmers that is not gritty in anyway.

Senna Lip Sync in Pink Mink (link) is a hot pink lipstick. I have worn this in a makeup tutorial (click here). The lipgloss is in the shade pink with chunky glitters. The glitters were manageable but I am not too fond of having glitter settle into the lines of my lips.

Likes

- I like all the products mentioned above except for the HD Extreme Firming makeup.

- Quality makeup

- Love the idea of having the lipstick and lipgloss in one tube/packaging.

- Pigmentation is most of the products are good and are build-able.

Dislike

- Most of the products cost similar to Mac cosmetics. Mac is readily available in most countries and one can try them out before buying however with Senna, it can be a little tricky.

- They do not carry darker shades. The darkest is what I have tried and mentioned above. For reference, I am in Mac NC44/45.

Overall

This brand has quality makeup which is practical for most women. The only issue I have is that they do not carry darker shades thus making it not as favorable for my darker beauties. I hope they improve on this.

14 comments:

Aww. Love your "pregnant chubby face"! LOL.I haven't tried senna products but thanks for the swatches! You are one of the best review and swatches bloggers in my opinion.I am a bit darker than you so I am not sure if they would work for me, but maybe I'll check out one of the lip glosses.Thanks for sharing!

Thanks Gabrielle, I am particular with things thus I am always wanting to try and give my fair and honest opinion. Also I think pics say a thousand words instead of me writing a whole long paragraph about the product.

Senna is on sale now at hautelook. Perhaps you might be able to get a discount. Not sure but give it a try!

Thanks for the heads up about the sale!I'll check it out.I really appreciate your pics because like you said, the long paragraphs sometimes don't give you the full effect, lol.Thanks so much for doing your reviews and swatches!

Hi Uma! No no, not chubby but beautiful glowing skin! Now i'm so tempted to try the concealer - I'm an NC43-45 with terrible dark circles; I always need to use an orange corrector first (Bobbi Brown Dark Peach or MUFE Orange). this looks good; must find a way to get hold of this (im in Singapore) :)take care!Kas

hey so I'm a nw35 in the mac range. If I was to buy amber do you think it'd work for me. The amber shade seems a bit lighter then the nc44 shade you have. So i was just wondering if you think it'd be light enough for me.

hey so I'm a nw35 in the mac range. If I was to buy amber do you think it'd work for me. The amber shade seems a bit lighter then the nc44 shade you have. So i was just wondering if you think it'd be light enough for me.

I have love Senna for years! Thanks so much for your thought on the foundation. I an an NC20 but gorgeous coverage is gorgeous coverage! The only thing I never cared for were the glosses because they were sooooo sticky! Did they reformulate? Did you find them sticky?